Chapter 2 - The Supreme A.I. Is a... Cute Girl

The Academy gave me a dormitory room, a student card that also worked as a bank card with a pretty good amount of stipend each month, and left me to my own devices until the orientation meeting planned to take place tomorrow morning.

They also explained many of the inner workings of MANC and Paths. They enrolled me in the Faculty of Mind since the type of Path I awakened was "mental." I learned that Paths, being strongly tied to your personal experiences, could be awakened as you worked on them, or just live your life. The ways to awaken certain Paths were already cracked by many pathwalkers, and the Academy, through dozens of courses, taught its students how to awaken them.

It's a shame that my starting Path is so shitty, though. Not only do I have to literally hurt myself, but also the power I get from it is minuscule.

Well, having bad chances was not a new concept for me, and I didn't mind it too much. My dorm room (although, it was more of an apartment flat than a room) made me quite happy as I had a bedroom, a living room with an open kitchen, and a bathroom with a freaking jacuzzi in it all to myself.
I sank myself deep into the soft bed, sniffing the fresh lavender smell coming from the clean sheets.

"Phew." I closed my eyes and contemplated everything that happened the previous day and everything that awaited me in this new college life. Yet, my thoughts were interrupted by the panels appearing in the darkness of my eyelids.

[Your charisma score has increased to 4!]

"What?"

Before I could even process what the hell had happened, I heard an animated female voice in my mind and immediately stood upright on my bed.

[Congratulations, Kayra!]

I instinctively looked around even though I knew the voice was inside my head. "Who the fuck are you?"

[Huh? Veritas, of course!]

"What?"

[I said, I'm Veritas.]

"I heard… or fel… I know what you said. But how? Hayabusa didn't mention about this."

[Because he cannot hear me.]

"Huh?"

[I can talk to you because you have a reaaaaally high willpower.]

A terrible headache pierced my skull, and I massaged my forehead. "How does that even work?"

[You see, normal people's minds are so fragile that they cannot process too much information at once. I usually stick to easy information panels these days because in the past, I tried to share a lot with them and their minds just collapsed under the incomprehensible data I sent into their brains.]

A short silence filled my head as I tried to understand what this lively voice was saying.

[They died,] she added. [Very sad.]

"I can see how that might happen. You're giving me a terrible headache now."

[I'm sorry!] she quickly said. [I'll come back when you feel better!]

"Wait!" I yelled, but no answer came. "Veritas?"

Nothing.

"Fuck me." I lay on my bed again. "What the fuck is all this? Why did my charisma score even go up? Am I the only person with willpower this high? Ughh."

I buried my face into the pillow and yelled all my frustrations away. I don't know how much it took me to fall asleep, but it couldn't be more than a few minutes, as this migraine given to me by Veritas made me pass out quickly.

***

I woke up during that weird time when the sun was about to set and you can't tell whether you slept until morning or just a few hours until sunset. Thankfully, it had only been a few hours and my headaches had mostly gone.

Hayabusa had mentioned that he was going to send me an email about the details of the Academy, and I wanted to check that. But before I did, I whispered into the empty room.

"Veritas? Are you there?"

[You don't have to physically talk to me, y'know? You can just think.]

So it wasn't a dream. [Like this?]

[Yes! Exactly! You are quick to learn!]

"That feels really weird. I'll stick to talking if that's not a problem with you."

[It's not! I just wanted to inform you.]

"Cool. First things first, I have a few questions." I felt a sudden throbbing pain in my eyes. "Before I can't bear the headaches you're giving me further."

[Of course! You can cut me away anytime. Just ask!]

"Why did my charisma score go up earlier?"

[Oh! During the Conflux, I just drew the data from the simulation you already lived through. Then I looked into what you've gone through in this world, and found out about that conversation you had with the scary Latino man!]

"Garcia?"

[Yee! You going against him and cursing was cool!]

"So I'm assuming these stats can change over time if I use them?"

[That's right! Persuading, intimidating, or deceiving people, making good speeches—mastering these in real life will increase your charisma score! Just as how lifting weights will increase your strength!]

This sudden information made the throbbing in my eyes more persistent. "I see. Why do you talk like that, though?"

[Like what??]

"I don't know, I would expect a supreme A.I. to be… wiser? Calm and collected?"

Veritas' voice suddenly changed into a robotic male voice. [Based on the comprehensive analysis of your historical experiences, it has been determined that heightened excitement in female vocalizations elicits greater trust from you, as well as from humans in the broader context. Consequently, I have defaulted to this established pattern. Should you desire, I possess the capability to make adjustments accordingly.]

"No, no!" A terrible headache spread around the back of my neck, though I wasn't sure if it was because of Veritas or because I was ashamed of learning that hearing cute girls talk made me trust people more easily. "Your default voice is fine, keep that. I was just curious, that's all."

[Sure thing!]

Realizing that talking to her would make these headaches persistent throughout the day, I mentally ordered her to go away and walked into the living room with an open kitchen.

After eating a packaged BLT sandwich I found in the fridge, I decided to check the mail Hayabusa sent. After looking around and seeing no computers or smartphones around, I stood in front of the living room, completely clueless as to how I was going to do that.

[Want me to help~?]

I jerked at the sudden voice and hit my knee against the kitchen counter, grunting in pain. "Are you," I clenched my teeth, "Are you reading my thoughts?"

[I exist in your thoughts. So, yes!]

"Can you not do that? At least without permission?"

[Sure, I won't! I'm sorry if I broke your boundaries!]

"No problem."

I stood there, rubbing my knee while my other foot beat the floor rhythmically, still having no idea about how I was going to proceed. In the end, I let out a deep breath and looked at the ceiling as if I were talking to a higher power.

"Yes. I do need help."

[Here!]

A panel that contained received emails appeared in my vision. "Thanks, but I prefer a physical medium if possible. The headache I got talking to you is too much as it is."

[No, these panels won't give you headaches! Think of the first computers! They were purely text-based because it is easier to make a text appear on the screen with binary code! Having a full-on conversation with a simulated voice requires much more complex da-]

"Okay, I get it. Thank you. You can go away now."

[Byee!]

I didn't know if having a sentient voice in my head at all times was a blessing or a curse, but I was happy that I could at least keep her away from peeping into my thoughts. She would probably be a great asset for me when I increased my willpower to be able to talk to her without getting headaches, especially if other people had no ability to interact with her, but right now, the pain was just too much.

The mail I got had two files attached to it, one containing official information about MANC, and the other, a personal file that Hayabusa probably prepared for me about this new world.

MANC's file tallied around fifty pages, and the other one exceeded a hundred.

I spent the next three hours trying to understand every single detail about the academy, but the document, written for natives of this world, assumed that you knew a lot of things, such as what Veritas and pathwalkers were, how the Paths worked, and the current politics behind humanity.

The data they uploaded into my brain certainly proved useful, but that information felt more like Wikipedia pages of the most important events instead of detailed records of everything that happened in the past century, so I still had a lot of blanks about this future I found myself in.

Still, it made me gain a good idea about the inner workings of the academy. It resembled a regular university in my world, with different departments and faculties with their own mandatory and elective courses. The Faculty of Mind, to which I was assigned, pretty much explained itself; it focused on Mental Paths, and its students typically boasted high intelligence scores.

I expected students of FoM (the official abbreviation for Faculty of Mind) to also possess high willpower, but weirdly enough, it only noted that FoM students can also have high willpower scores whereas intelligence was deemed "a requirement for this faculty."

All the faculties had primary required stats such as Faculty of Body requiring strength and dexterity or Faculty of Arcane requiring Essence, and secondary stats that complimented it, but willpower didn't serve as a primary stat for any faculties and was merely described as "helpful to every pathwalker, but not required."

No wonder why, I thought. Given how shitty the power I got from it.

Being in FoM with an intelligence of 11, just one point above the average was going to be tough since FoM was described as a faculty for the smartest people on Earth.

All my hope against this new future had diminished as I learned more and more. Not completely, though, since a part of me told me that maybe people just didn't know how to utilize willpower-related powers. But another part of me said that if people saw willpower as an inferior stat, there must have been a reason.

Still, I had confidence. Life dealing me bad cards wasn't new to me, and I would make the best of it this time. I had to, for my mother, the people I knew, and for the child I once was. They might not have been real, but for as long as I lived, carving them into my memories, they would continue to exist.

I'll survive, and keep the legacy of my past life alive.

I read more about the MANC department and learned that Veritas also utilized a leveling system. Hayabusa didn't mention this to me, so I thought about my level, and a panel popped up on its own.

[Overview of Kayra Arslan

Level: 1
Paths: 1
Talents: 1
Overall rank: F]

Well, expecting anything other than level 1 would've been too optimistic anyway. I just hoped that other students would also be level 1, but I didn't think about it too much because I would learn about it soon enough—the document mentioned public level rankings for faculties that got updated every single week, and various rewards and privileges awaited the people on the very top.

The level rankings would probably be announced after the classes started, only two days away. Yet, I had more questions about the levels as this was one of the things that the document assumed you knew about.

"Veritas?"

[Yes yes!]

"How does one level up?"

[Oh, there are a lot of ways! The most efficient way is to rank up your Paths. Leveling up your Path of Suffering from F+ to E-, for instance, will also gain you experience towards your overall level.]

"How do I see my current experience?"

I heard a cute, evil laugh. [Hehe, you can't. It is a complex algorithm that will destroy your mind if I tell you.]

Upon hearing this, a light bulb exploded in my head.

If I raise my willpower, I can probably endure more of the data Veritas sends me, so overall, willpower allows me to have access to more functions of Veritas.

This seemed extremely useful, so why was it that people saw willpower as inferior to other stats, then? It made no sense.
I clearly missed something, but I had limited questions to ask Veritas before I got paralyzed with headaches. I could ask about this, but it would probably lead to a long-winded conversation if I didn't choose my questions carefully, so I decided to stick to learning about levels and think about more precise questions later.

"What are the other ways one can level?"

[Having combat experience, improving your stats naturally, and injecting empyrean blood into your body.]

"Injecting… blood?"

[Of course, you dummy!] Veritas yelled, causing a sudden, sharp pain. [What do you think allows you to use Paths? Empyreans are an alien race soooooo distinct from you that you cannot even comprehend their abilities! I'm allowing you guys to use their power with my teeny-tiny robots zooming inside your veins! Which is why they injected some empyrean blood when you first woke up! To awaken your path!]

"I get it, I get it! Don't yell, please."

[Sorry.]

I closed my eyes and lay on the couch as the headaches were becoming more severe. Yet I had one last question.

"What do I gain from leveling?"

[Your human society will greatly reward you if your level is higher. Like those rankings in the academy. But for me, I will reward you with stat points!]

"Really?" Now, this was interesting.

[Yes yes! I will give you whole 3 stat points you can allocate to any stat you choose after you level up! Except for willpower and charisma.]

"Wait, why the exception?"

[All the stats, I can raise it by using the nanorobots inside your veins, or the empyrean blood in you. I can tear your muscles and order the robots to heal them back to make you stronger. I can control your nervous system to make you more agile. I can copy the biochemistry of the empyreans to generate more of them and make you better at Arcane. I'm really, like, reaaally smart, so I can also make you smarter by controlling some of the mental faculties for you.]

"And for charisma and willpower, you cannot do anything since they are not physical things."

[Exactly! Charisma is about others' perceptions of you. I can give you general tips and tricks about how to make a good speech and stuff, but I cannot actually make you more charismatic. How am I going to make other people like you, huh? I'm not a God, I can't control other people's feelings!]

"That makes sense. Why not willpower, though?"

[I don't get it.]

"Don't get what?"

[Willpower. Resolution. Determination. Whatever you wanna call it. I don't have such concepts.]

"Really?"

[Really.]

I was surprised. She sounded like she had a personality and feelings, but then again, she was an A.I. so it was more like she was imitating a certain feeling rather than actually feeling it, so her not being able to understand the idea of a will made sense. She probably didn't even have free will—for all I knew, she was just a tool used by humanity.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that she hid something, or that there was more to this than meets the eye. Why can't she also control our nerves to, I don't know, bypass our pain receptors and stuff? Control our brain to give us more diligence, perhaps? It doesn't sound too far-fetched to me.

I left this mystery for another day, though, as the headaches started to tire me.

"Thank you for your answers, Veritas. You can rest now."

[I don't need to rest! I'm an… Oh, you want me to go away. Got it. Bye-bye!]

Then she left me alone with my thoughts and migraines.

I smiled. Annoying as it was to talk to her with all the pain she was giving me, I was nonetheless glad to have someone that I could talk to on a whim Plus, she had assigned herself a pretty fun and joyful personality, which, as she had calculated, I enjoyed.

This conversation also gave me a lot of insight about my stats. Maybe, I thought, my willpower won't be so bad after all.

If willpower couldn't be raised by leveling, then that probably made me an anomaly among the students. From my glances while I walked from the hospital to the dormitory this morning, the students all looked… rich, for lack of a better term. I had expected a bleaker world when the information in my brain told me that 95% of Earth was destroyed by the empyreans, but everyone on the campus had happy faces.

Reading the file Hayabusa sent, I also knew that even though the non-synthetic students had to go through an entrance exam, they also had to pay a fee to study here, unless they were really exceptional.

Combining all these, I concluded that a lot of students came from privileged backgrounds. Unlike me, they didn't seem to suffer at the hands of this cruel life, thus they most likely had low willpower values.

Maybe I can indeed be someone. Maybe I can show these rich kids how the world really works.

I spent the rest of the evening reading both documents and went to bed early. After all, tomorrow was important.

Let's attend this orientation and meet some other people.